India and South Korea share remarkable common interests – all the more remarkable considering how far apart they are geographically, in area, popula­tion, average income, living conditions and climate. And then consider how different are Indians and Koreans in ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, religious beliefs and influences. It’s hard to imagine two such important na­tions and societies with so little in common, yet so close­ly bound by security and economic considerations.

Yes, appearances can be extremely de­ceiving in a fast-moving high-tech world in which potentially cataclysmic military pressures, on top of domestic political power struggles and the need for trade and commerce, outweigh so much else. After considering all the differences, just look at all India and South Korea have in common. Continue reading →

China has offered Sri Lanka new loans for infrastructure projects, worth US$ 2.2 billion dollars. In a reply to a question, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mr. Hong Lei told the news media that in addition to infrastructure loans, both countries agreed to further deepen defence cooperation and maintain exchanges between two defence ministries, whilst they continue to carry out in cooperating defence technology, personal training and other fields. Yet, the spokesperson did not reveal further details regarding the nature of the new strategic cooperation.

Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Professor G. L. Peiris, mentioned in an interview with Global Times that, Sri Lanka will embrace China’s rise and characterised bilateral ties as “very warm and mutually supportive”. He also mentioned that China has “stood the test of time”, referring to the military support the country extended during the last phase of the war against the LTTE, as well as the support given to Sri Lanka against a US-backed resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Continue reading →

Officials said Athens and Jerusalem launched strategic cooperation over the last year. They said the cooperation included military exercises, strategic dialogue and intelligence exchanges on regional threats.

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Officials said Avramopoulos sought U.S. help to enhance regional cooperation that would include Israel. They said Greece wanted to ensure the safety of energy exploration projects in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly off the coast of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey, asserting the exploration violated its sovereignty, has sent warships to disrupt the projects.